DOE Releases ENERGY STAR® Criteria Changes
Stakeholders Convene in Washington to Offer Feedback
Just a few short weeks after the NFRC Summer Membership Meeting in Chicago, many NFRC members gathered again – this time in Washington, D.C. for the Department of Energy’s (DOE) ENERGY STAR® stakeholder meeting.
Held at DOE headquarters on August 13, the meeting attracted a full room of representatives from industry associations, manufacturing companies, laboratories, and other not-for-profit organizations, such as the Alliance to Save Energy and the Consortium for Energy Efficiency.
ENERGY STAR Program Manager Richard Karney opened the meeting with a brief statement and turned it over to a panel of speakers from D&R International Ltd. and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory to explain the methodology behind the criteria revisions in-depth.
The proposed criteria changes are set to be rolled out in two phases, with the first phase scheduled for implementation as early as August 2009 and the second slated for January 2013.
According to DOE, both phases will offer significant energy savings but the second phase will really reestablish ENERGY STAR as an identifier of windows with superior energy efficiency.
D&R International’s Stephen Bickel introduced the revised climate zone map and noted that DOE seeks to align more closely with the dominant model from the International Energy Conservation Code.
“We want to enable the criteria to meet or beat code without requiring major redesign,” said Bickel.
Among the proposed changes to the ENERGY STAR criteria are:
• A separate zone and stringent criteria for windows in the Pacific Northwest, establishing a minimum U-Factor of .30 and a Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC) cap of .55
• In the north, outside of the Pacific Northwest, windows must meet minimum annual energy performance
• Traditional prescriptive criteria in the central and southern regions with no trade-offs
• A requirement for all products to meet NFRC IG certification requirements, which are currently under development
Stakeholders Provide Feedback
Following DOE’s analysis, a number of individuals were given the opportunity to share their thoughts on the proposed criteria. Representatives from the Consortium for Energy Efficiency, American Architectural Manufacturers Association, Aluminum Extruders Council, Window and Door Manufacturers Association were among the list of organizations present during the session.
Stepping to the podium, WDMA’s Mike Fischer noted that DOE is “heading in the right direction.” Fischer added that he supported the aggressive increases in the South and the IG certification component.
Other stakeholders asked DOE to reconsider the criteria in the South. “We request reinstatement of the trade offs in the southern zones,” said John Lewis of AAMA.
A representative from the Glazing Industry Code Committee echoed Lewis’ remarks, asking that DOE maximize use of trade offs and encourage use of low SHGC products in the south and high in the north.
Comment Period Extended
During the session, many stakeholders requested DOE extend the comment period to 90 days. In response, DOE issued a statement announcing they would honor that request and set a deadline of October 17, 2008.
To see the handouts, presentations and other materials relating to the criteria change, visit the ENERGY STAR Web site.
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NFRC Insider | Vol. 2, Issue 4 - September 2008